title: Surgical treatment of catamenial pneumothorax.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To discuss the aetiology and determine the optimal surgical treatment of catamenial pneumothorax.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1980 and December 2007, 17 patients with catamenial pneumothorax were treated at our institution. Regarding the surgical approach, thoracotomy was performed until 1991, and thoracoscopic surgery was performed from 1992 onward.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pneumothorax was on the right side in all but two patients. Surgery was performed on 15 of the 17 patients. The surgical procedure was a diaphragm resection plus a partial bleb resection in eight patients, a diaphragm resection in two patients, a diaphragm resection plus an absorbable polyglycolic acid sheet in four patients, and a partial bleb resection in one patient. Five patients demonstrated a postoperative recurrence (33.0%). However, no recurrence has been observed thus far in the four patients with an absorbable polyglycolic sheet placed on the diaphragmatic surface.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the postoperative recurrence rate of patients undergoing surgical procedures remains high, there were some patients with no postoperative recurrence. Placement of an absorbable sheet on the diaphragmatic surface may therefore prevent recurrence of catamenial pneumothorax.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mura@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: Mie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimamura
authors.forename: Motohiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuichi
authors.forename: Tatsuhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishii
authors.forename: Shinichirou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishimoto
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morooka
authors.forename: Chiyoshi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yagasaki
authors.forename: Kazumitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohmori
authors.forename: Motomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiono
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011100:Polyglycolic Acid